POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 9, 2016) - The No. 9 Vassar College men's volleyball team (8-1, 0-0 UVC) will look to keep its four-match winning streak going Wednesday, as it opens United Volleyball Conference action against defending national champion Stevens Institute of Technology in action from Kenyon Hall Wednesday evening. Vassar is coming off a pair of wins in Newton, MA this past weekend, easily dispatching of Newbury College and Mount Ida College in straight sets.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. No. 6 Stevens Institute of Technology (7-1)
Links:
(Vassar's Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Stevens' Men's Volleyball Home Pages) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site:Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:Kenyon Hall
Date:February 10, 2016
Time:6 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

What To Look For
The matchup to watch tomorrow night will be the offensive output of the Brewers against the stout defense of Stevens. Coming into the week, the Brewers were fourth in the conference in hitting percentage with a .320 clip, while the Ducks sit atop the opposing hitting percentage rankings. Stevens allows teams to hit just .138 against it during matches. Also, both teams come into the match with large winning streaks, in what should be a very big, early-season conference match for both teams.

A Look At The No. 7 Ducks (7-1, 0-0 UVC)
Stevens is coming off one of its most historic seasons in program history, earning the Division III National Championship last April on its home court, defeating Springfield College in three games in the title match. Stevens went 31-4 last year, finishing the season on a 22-match winning streak en route to the title. This season has started out well for the Ducks, which dropped their first match to No. 3 Rutgers-Newark but have rattled off seven straight since. The Ducks have been a solid team across the board, ranking in the top 30 in every teams statistical category, while ranking eighth in hitting percentage nationally. Stevens is 11^th in the nation in blocks per set, while ranking 14^th in kills per game with 12.04.

Individually, Gabe Shankweiler has returned to form after being injured last season to hit .412 this far this season, eighth best in the NCAA. The Ducks are very deep and very balanced, as three hitters have over 50 kills, including 3.48 per set from Shankweiler. Chris Vaughan has posted 59 kills and 2.95 terminations per set thus far, while All-American Tim Ferriter is averaging 2.89 kills a match along with 52 total. Thomas Burrell leads the squad in total sets played and blocks with 21, while Etan Bennett also has 20 total blocks for the Ducks. Niko Lambert has posted 2.00 digs per set this year for Stevens, chalking up a team-high 40 digs thus far. The Ducks have 17 players that have registered at least one kill, and have 20 players on the active roster.

Against Stevens All-Time
The Brewers are 3-8 all-time against Stevens Institute of Technology, as the Ducks have won the last five meetings between the two teams. Vassar's last win came in 2010, a three-set victory in Poughkeepsie.

Feed The Big Man
Sophomore Matthew Knigge (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) is second in the nation in hitting percentage so far, hitting .551 while averaging 2.71 kills per set.

1111, Make A Wish
Sophomore setter Zechariah Lee (Santa Clarita, CA/Saugus) has chalked up 1,111 assists in his career through just 38 matches, averaging nearly 9.50 helpers per game.

Moving That Way
Junior libero Trey Cimorelli (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) is moving towards becoming only the second man in program history with 1000 digs, as he has 650 currently. He's a little behind the school record pace of 1233, set by Christian La Du from 2010-13.

The Freshmaker
Freshman Daniel Halberg (Newark, DE/Salesianum) was voted as the UVC Rookie of the Week for his efforts last week, leading Vassar in assists for the week. He was the fourth different Vassar freshman to pick up the award over the last two seasons.

Right Side Reno
Vassar College right side Reno Kriz (Breinigsville, PA/Parkland) ranks fourth in the conference in kills per set with 3.19, while his hitting percentage of .264 is a career-best right now.

Lucky Seven
The Brewers have shown a strong balance across the attacking line this year, as seven players come into Wednesday night's affair with Stevens with two or more kills.

Tough League
So far this season, the United Volleyball Conference has gone 55-30 against outside conference's by far the best mark in all of Division III men's volleyball. In fact, the UVC has played four Division I teams, posting a 3-1 record.

Big Hitters
Vassar has two of the top four hitters in the country by percentage in Matthew Knigge and George Diehl (St. Louis, MO/Lindbergh). Knigge ranks No. 2, while Diehl is No. 4 in the rankings. No other school has a pair of hitters in the top 10, while only Nazareth and Stevenson has multiple players in the top 15.

Up Next
Vassar is off for six days before opening a nine-game road trip, starting on the road at the College of Mount Saint Vincent Tuesday, February 16 at 7 p.m. in Riverdale, NY.